Me and My Flame
by Mark Freakin Twain
Summary: I didn't actually write this, but its a great story.
1. Metapods Can't Dance

Prologue: Pokémon on a Stick (Or: Remains of the Day)

Last night's rain drops shook from the waist-high grass, wetting her legs as Jade took the narrow animal path away from her family's camp near the mountain slope. The trail faded into a valley watched by rocky cliffs rising bald from the green. The sun had just risen past the peaks, but her clothes were already sticky. Her binoculars dangled from her neck, her brand-new Pokédex in her pocket. Her parents had gotten it, and her license, for her 10th birthday, knowing it would suit her hobby: studying Pokémon, like themselves. They had finally gotten government permission to come here, to Charizard Island, for four weeks."Rapidash," she said under her breath, creeping through high grass for a better look at the small herd grazing in the distance, which she had seen yesterday. She stopped where the taller grass gave way to short, slapped a bug biting her upper arm and brought her binoculars up. She counted five Rapidash and two Ponyta; the biggest Rapidash looked to be the stallion. Though the ends of their flame tails swished and flared against the grass, nothing caught alight. Rapidash did not burn anything unless they wanted to. Little sense in torching your food.One Rapidash reared up and whinnied. All took off down the field away from Jade, their hooves rumbling over the turf. A flock of Spearows rose shrieking from the grass in their path. Jade looked around, then up; a charizard was soaring high overhead. A winged shadow with orange body highlighted by slanted sunlight, trailed by a flame on the tip of its tail. Her stomach felt the bass of its distant, drawn-out roar. Jade held her breath. The charizard did not swoop.Only when the beast had flown past did she stand back up on shaking legs, scratching another bug bite on her bare shin. The Rapidash were gone. She pointed her Pokédex at the disappearing dragon; it told her only the sentence she already knew.It was near noon, and getting hotter. She flapped the soaked front of her shirt against her chest, then fanned her face with her cap. Seeing that wild charizard had satisfied her for now. This land really was "burning with'em" as her dad said.Something rustled the tall grass behind her. She turned around, and watched a large Rhyhorn shove its way through, flattening the green stalks under squat, stonelike feet. Seeing her, it snorted, standing between her and camp. It looked her straight in the eye.Only after she had sprinted several yards up the field did she remember that the worst thing to do was run."Help!" Jade screamed, her legs pumping as fast as they could over the short grass. But she was beyond earshot, and the Rhyhorn was charging. Jade swerved at the last minute and it ran past her; as it stopped and turned around she hurled her binoculars at its frilled head. The Rhyhorn didn't seem to notice as they bounced off its armor.Its harsh breath huffed behind her as she ran. "Help me!"A huge shadow swooped over her, like an airplane-and with a forest-fire's roar. Her hair whipped back. Whirling around, she saw a charizard drop on the animal. A deluge of flames unfurled from its mouth as it bore down on the thick, armored neck. Yellow light flowered out around its sharp teeth as both monsters roared. She could not tell if it was the one who had flown by before. The Rhyhorn kicked and reared up, finally throwing the charizard off. Springing up on muscular legs, it jumped the Rhyhorn again, clawed feet scrabbling on the animal's armor. The Rhyhorn finally bucked it off, after the charizard had nearly smothered its face in fire. Grunting with each breath, it ran back away, crashing through the tall grass. And it was gone.Jade realized she had been screaming the entire time.The charizard's nostrils flared, its nose and mouth puffing steam as it bent over catching its breath. It raised its head to look at Jade, who still clutched the Pokédex."You saved me." It stood straighter and strolled towards her. When Jade took a step back, it stopped."You understand me?" Her voice cracked, hoarse from screaming.A nod of the golden orange head, and a blink of sky-blue eyes. Judging by its horns, it was probably male. Her parents had always said charizards looked magnificent and possessed powers few could stand against in battle. But that their intellect ranked a notch or two above a Slowbro.The charizard had gained his wind and was studying her as she studied him. She had a scratch on her knee and sweat half-plastered her straight black hair to her head. He inspected a scratch on his own arm, startling her when a rose of red flame gusted out his mouth. They must use fire to clean their wounds."Charizard," he said in a rumble so deep she could barely make out the word. His big feet waddled toward her; his tail swished laxly behind him.Jade stepped to the side, starting to run. But if he wanted to eat her, he already would have; she couldn't escape by running any better than by standing still. As she approached, she thought she saw him smiling."Charizard." He approached her again. "Izard char char." She smelled a faint, reptilian odor, overpowered by brimstone, as he strode within a yard of her. He towered over her, with a big round body and long, thick tail. The insides of his huge wings were a lovely, rich sky-blue. He flapped them, partly unfolding them; she felt the refreshing if smelly breeze. He extended his left hand. "Char, izard chariz. Charizard?"Despite the brimstone, she stepped over and took his hand, moving her fingers against the warm scales. "I can't understand you. But thank you, for saving my life. My name's Jade. Do you have a name?"He nodded. "Char.""Well, is it okay if I give you a nickname?""Char, izard." An amused smile curled his wide mouth, squinting his bright cerulean eyes."How about Blaze."A shrug of his bony shoulders, a lazy nod. But he straightened up, his chest out. "Izard.""I'm glad you like it." She looked beyond him, at the path back to camp. "Well, my parents might be worried about me. I have to go. But I'll see you soon, Blaze. Thank you again." Jade squeezed the orange-scaled, orange-clawed hand, unable to believe it was there in hers. As if to confirm it was flesh and blood, it squeezed back, the three clawed fingers closing round. Though it was gentle, she felt the strong, tough muscles."You have to be careful-my parents might hurt you if they saw you. Even though they're not trying to catch Pokémon. They would get scared if you came too close-and I wouldn't be allowed to see you again. But if you want you can come back here tomorrow. I'll share my lunch with you."Blaze did not come back the next day, when it rained heavily, but the day after that was clear and they shared Jade's noodle lunch in the heat of another sweltering day. In the shady tent of his wing, she handed him what was left in the container when she'd finished-almost enough for two-and his long pink tongue scooped it out in a couple sweeps. Even his tongue looked strong. After cleaning the inside of the container he licked the sauce off his mouth. "You like it, huh."Jade learned plenty about wild charizards the next four weeks, even being limited to yes-no questions. And her parents never suspected that she was doing her research in the company of a wild charizard. The only thing that caught their attention was that "funny smell."When she learned Blaze was curious about why she was here, she said her parents were here to learn about Pokémon. But she added that "they're going to be leaving very soon." She didn't say where they were staying, lest the word reach other Pokémon, or Blaze should decide to defend anyone against them.Mostly they wiled away time, lying in the hot sun, or Blaze gave her a ride. When she got the hang of it, she loved it.She learned about Blaze himself. He lived with his parents most of the time, and would be ready to leave them when he became a better hunter. He was looking for a mate, but had not found her yet. There was a bully who picked on him, and an old charizard who didn't like him."Why does he not like you?" she asked. But she didn't understand his gesticulated attempt to explain."Are you saying you're not sure?""Char," he said, nodding.Blaze arrived one day for lunch at their meeting spot with small, well-cooked pieces of meat on a stick, obviously a return for all those bites of sandwich and noodle lunches she'd given him. He held the stick out to her, enough for a whole meal."Thanks!" She tried one piece and was soon swallowing the last, and licking her fingers. "You're a great cook. What is it?" She realized it might have poisoned her for all she knew, but her stomach wasn't rebelling. Blaze crouched for her to climb on, and he flew her to a grassy field near a stream, not far away. Jade dismounted and followed him through the scratchy waist-high blades. "Char." He spanned his wings, grunting for her to stay where she was. He ran forward with a flap, and roared flames, frightening off a few Fearows and Spearows that had clustered over something. Jade took her hands off her ears and sauntered over, hearing flies buzz, and then closed her eyes, too late to avoid recognizing a Chansey with flies for eyes, mostly consumed. One of her favorite Pokémon, so sweet and gentle. Who'd have thought it tasted so good?"Blaze, how could you?" she said before reminding herself that he had to eat, and could not know she didn't eat Chansey.His head cocked in confusion, the skin furrowing down over his bony brows."Char, chariz?""I'm sorry." She swallowed a gag. "It was very nice of you."She politely refused more, and sat a distance away, revolted by his hands and teeth ducking into the grass and rising smeared with red, holding dripping meat. She clutched her stomach, gulping, smiling when he looked over. Blaze must have taken the hint, because he never took her to a kill site again. Why had he killed that Chansey yet saved her?"I promise I'll see you again," said Jade on the day her family was leaving. She hugged Blaze's huge belly swollen by breakfast. For the last time her friend's hands stroked her hair and the back of her shirt. "I'll miss you, Blaze. But I'll see you again when I'm older."She had no idea.Blaze gave her a last squeeze. "Charizard." He flapped his huge wings, the breeze lifting her hair as he flew up and away.

Years passed; Jade's interest in wild Pokémon waned, as it often does. She married, raised a daughter, and worked at a good job. She retired in comfort, her daughter a successful Eevee breeder. But once in a while she pulled out the little album of pictures she had snapped of Blaze on that long-ago trip. Through her reading glasses she squinted at those bright blue eyes. Charizards lived for thousands of years. How was he doing, what was he up to? Did he remember her?And what was his real name? 


	2. Burning Bush

2: Burning Bush

Under the gibbous moon, Chah's black peak gave a rumble so deep that Chad only felt it in his horns as he swooped to the rock where Vixen had said she'd be. Chigma had told him to be back early because of the meeting. She probably feared Chizmo might try something, even now.

Chad circled above Vixen in the dark sky. "I'm here." With a swoop of wind parting the grasses he landed in the clearing.

"Shhh," rasped Vixen, "and keep that tail flame low unless you want Chiffy to see you-he's guarding." She had seen him lose more than one tussle to that brat. "This way and DON'T light the grass."

Chad easily knew the way to Golem's Peak, but holding his tail clear of the grass he waddled after Vixen, scratched by shrubs as she slipped through with ease. Due to frequent fires, few places on Chah let bushes grow. "This isn't the way to Golem's Peak," he said through a faceful of leaves. "What are you doing?"

"The secret way. Didn't I tell you to turn that tail down?"

"I can't flick it on and off." Chad smelled smoke. He turned to see his tail igniting a blade of grass. He quenched it between his hands. Vixen glared.

"That would sure leave a trail of ashes. Chiffy would laugh his head off."

"Stop talking about Chiffy." Chad's lashing tail cast a swinging shadow on the Vulpix.

"Regardless of how touchy a topic he is, Chiffy is an obstacle. But I'll show you past him. He doesn't have half your brains, and that's saying plenty."

Chad puffed one tiny flame as Vixen led him through the rocky brushland, to a huge boulder jutting darkly against the sky, towering over the surrounding rocks. The top of a tunnel showed over the grass, and one look at its dimensions told Chad why charizards didn't use it. An earthquake or something must have opened it.

She popped in. "Chad? Can you become useful and light the way in here?"

"Will I fit?" Chad thrust his head and shoulders down in.

"You'd better."

Chad carefully squeezed his wings past, and with a grunt, crashed inside. He stumbled forward on the cool rock, barely keeping his balance. The shadows swayed on the walls.

"It's wider in here," said Vixen. "Come on. Chah, I had no idea how dark this place got at night."

Chad and Vixen took the only route through. More grass and bushes choked the exit, except a Vixen-sized gap that she leapt through. Chad wasn't worried about the bushes so much as the exit itself. He ducked, and his head, neck and shoulders were as far as he got.

"Don't tell me you don't fit! The meeting's probably started already! Come on, one foot at a time!"

Chad tossed his head as he pushed against his jammed belly. His talons scraped the rock inside. "My feet aren't the problem."

Backing out the original entrance, Chad gave his wings a lusty flap, glad to be free. "Where is Chiffy anyway." The wind from his flapping wings as he lifted off blew Vixen's fur. Chiffy would have heard the commotion and strutted over while he was stuck.

"You nut, come down here!"

Chad landed on the boulder top, alone.

"Looks like Chiffy deserted his post," said Vixen, catching her breath as she climbed up and trotted over. "Probably screwing Cherilla again. No! I'm kidding!" she added as he whirled on her. "You jealous oaf. This is much more important."

Chad resisted the urge to ask her again if she'd ever seen them coupling, and the urge to go make sure they weren't, as they pushed through bushes towards Golem's Peak.

They crouched in the brush at the edge of the Chasm, a gap separating Chah from the smaller Golem's Peak. Across the way, up on the rock, the three elders had gathered, their faded-orange, finely scaled hides gleaming in their tails' light. The strong wind whipped Vixen's fur crest back as she curled her tails beside him.

Chizmo, the oldest, began to speak, too far for Chad to hear.

"We've got to get closer. Fly us down the Chasm. We won't see them there, but they won't see us. I'll leave it to you to tell their voices apart."

"Are you crazy? They could just glance down!" Couldn't Vixen see he was walking on ice already? Didn't she care a whit for his afterlife?

"Keep your voice down," Vixen whispered. "Either you can get taken by surprise later, or fly in. What's Chizmo gonna do, gum you to death?"

Chad swallowed the butterflies in his stomach, which threatened to make him breath fire involuntarily, and Vixen climbed on his back.

The Chasm was not a dead drop; it slanted. In the moonlight, Chad lit quietly on a large, grassy ledge near the rim. They slipped behind a fold of rock, where Chad could hide his tail flame. At the bottom of the Chasm, a shallow river flowed. Chad looked down at the rushing water, barely visible in the dark, and shivered.

Vixen hopped off and patted his tail. "Thanks for the lift, lizard."

"I hear them." Chad creeped up on a higher rock and pointed up at Golem's Peak. In his mind he said a little prayer to Chah. Please don't seal my soul in the Cave of Ice and Darkness!

"...Chaun might be old enough," said Chug, Cherilla's father. "We don't want a disaster like last time. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Chad," said the third elder, one with an almost red body. Chad and Vixen looked at each other. "Would you wish it on him?"

Chad stepped back until he felt the rock wall at his tail.

"See?" rasped Vixen.

"If ever these skies saw a waste of wings, he's it," said Chug. "He drives my daughter nearly to swimming."

"Chad should make room for the rest of us." This was Chizmo. Chad climbed onto a rock just high enough for him to peer over the rim, tail hanging down, and watch Chizmo. The faded old fire lizard straightened from his usual stoop, his wattled neck sprouting from drapes of flesh. His shrunken legs quivered. "That male leeches off his parents, befriends humans, talks to Vulpixes, and is rejected by every female he sniffs. Chah would do well getting that wastrel out of His horns while we're all ahead. Now, let us consult the mud. To see if taking action on it would be sanctioned."

Vixen gave a yip as Chad heard crackling below, and smelled smoke. He whirled around, tail swishing flame. He had lit a bush.

"Put it out!" Vixen cried. Chad jumped down and stomped it, but the fire fluttered onto the weeds, making them dance. It was amazing, Chad thought as he chased the flames like squirrels, how good charizards were at making fire but how pathetic at putting them out. He dropped to his belly and rolled on it, only to hear Vixen screaming that his tail had now lit another swath of grass.

"Remember, we were never here," said Chad as he flew them clear of the Chasm.

"Tell that to the entire circle of elders who're now staring at your fire," Vixen grumbled as she clung to his neck. "I told you to watch your tail."

"I told you this was a bad idea." Chad flew as if poachers were after him right now. If he flew fast enough, he could make it home before anyone got suspicious.

"Hey, I'm not blaming you." Vixen jumped off his back when Chad dropped her off by her den. "Good luck."

Chigma was waiting at the cavern's edge with Chalderon. She embraced him, her head nuzzled his neck. "We were so worried. You didn't see a fire in the Chasm, did you?"

"No." Chad shrugged.

"Chizmo arrived back in his lair," said Chalderon. "A brush fire started right near the Chasm and he called the meeting off. Very bad luck."

"I'll say," said Chad.

Brush fires were common as dirt. The following day no one mentioned anything about it to Chad. And the worry haunting his conscience receded.

One afternoon a few days later, after a successful hunt, he feasted till he could barely fly. He gave himself a long, leisurely grooming and lay down on a big sun-cooked rock, daydreaming. His wings fanned out, his tail doubled up between his spread legs so the flame heated the peak of his belly. A draconic grin spread over his face.

"Chaaar."

Chad started, flapping his wings. He opened his cerulean eyes to see-Chizmo. The dragon's once-orange hide was sandy and mottled; his shoulders jutted from sagging, doughlike flesh. Legend said that in his youth, he had cried out in the night and thus foretold Chah's explosive last eruption the following morning, which had coated the region with sacred ashfall. Thus began his long career of forecasting everything from charmander hatchings to thunderstorms. He wasn't always right, but no one seemed to notice.

His eyes narrowed, wise through their cataracts. Chad bowed his head, as much to dodge his bad breath as for respect.

"I'm asking everyone what they know about that mysterious brush fire that desecrated the sacred meeting."

"Oh." Chad shrugged. "Heard about it. But I don't know anything."

"I hope you are sure," said Chizmo. "Although I did have to cut the meeting short, I was able to make my forecasts." Chizmo smiled and Chad felt angry fire building in his stomach.

"Just to put your mind at rest. Good day." Chizmo flexed his wings to fly.

Chad tackled Chizmo, knocking him to the ground. "Stop playing games!"

They scuffled on the rock. Chad pinned the older one down on his wings, held his wrists on the stone and sat on him. "It's me, right?" Chad breathed hot steamy air down, as if to shrivel Chizmo's face even more. "Stop mocking me!"

Chizmo shook his floppy-fleshed head. "You youngsters can be so impulsive. Have you forgotten respect? Let me up this instant."

"Tell me what you're gonna say in those forecasts." Chad's eyes glowed white-blue. He took a deep breath from his stomach.

"Oh, quit bluffing. And give your eyes a rest, your Leer is pathetic."

Chad gruffed out a flame.

"But we both know how unpredictable you are, so I'll speak plainly. Life with a human would be to your benefit-"

"So you are planning something? Trap me and-give me away or-"

"How on Chah would I do that? You certainly can't sit still long enough for anyone to tie you down. Listen to me, I'm trying to help you. Look at you. You have no friends save that Vulpix." He snorted steam. "Whom I would have lunched on long ago. The humans would respect you, even love you. Before you denounce them, use your brain a little. Give it a chance."

"And my freedom? Hunting when I want, all that? That means something to me, in case you didn't notice!"

"I notice more than you. As for hunting, you can barely do it. Humans would provide you with all you could eat. All life's comforts. After all, you're not just any Pokemon. Charizards merit special rank in their society. Why else do they come out here?"

Everyone seemed to have a theory.

Chizmo's shoulder joint cracked as he wriggled. "Let me up. My muscles are stiff and the pebbles are digging into my back."

Chad stepped away, his chin ducked to show his horns. Chizmo rose slowly, flamed himself clean, gave his old wings a dusty flap and regarded Chad with squinted eyes.

"You don't care," said Chad. "You're too old to be picked."

"My son isn't," said Chizmo, rubbing his wrist. Chad snorted. Chiffy being caught was too good to be possible. "Remember, it's less painful to go willingly than be forced by humans. Great Chah, they haven't been sighted once yet, and already you're having temper tantrums and attacking helpless old lizards!"

"You won't come out and tell me the truth, but you do like to have fun flaming around the bush!"

"What? That you did the unthinkable and spied on a sacred meeting?"

"Some sacred meeting! You get together to talk about why this island would be better off without me!" His tail lashed. His wings fanned.

"And we're right." Chizmo stuck his neck forward, Leering. His eyes glowed through their cataract clouds. Chad gulped, unsettled. "Before I take leave of your shameful presence, I will say this."

Chad whipped his tail round and walked quickly away, hands in fists.

"You are THE most irresponsible, immature, ignorant, unstable and self-centered charizard I've ever encountered-and I've known hundreds! Frankly, if you were caught, the humans would probably return you and demand an exchange! You'd be unmanageable, as you are here! No wonder my son's concerned! You're a mud slap in your parents' faces!"

Chad took flight and didn't look back. He had tried not to let Chizmo get to him, but the words stung him like a Beedrill. `A mud slap in your parents' faces.' He glared at the sky ahead.


	3. King of the Hill

3: King of the Hill

Spring was giving way to summer. No one had seen any humans yet.

But as Chad soared high on a cloud-patched afternoon, his eyes scanned the grass-furred ground with its warts of rocks not for humans, but for Cherilla. He found her crouched on bare stone finishing her kill-a smattering of dark red, bones, and furry tails. A Vulpix-but not Vixen. The wave of horror blew over; as he folded his wings beside Cherilla he forgot all about some fox in its den.

"Charr," he rumbled a soft greeting.

Cherilla's slender neck guided her head to glance around, before looking at him sternly. Her hands fidgeted. "Chiffy told me all about it."

"Hnh?" He stepped back.

"Spying on the meeting? Chad, really!"

He should have guessed Chizmo wouldn't have kept quiet when there were better ways of punishing him.

"There were so many rumors-" He shut up before he said Vixen's name. Did Cherilla know about her too now? "And Chizmo said some not-so-sacred things about me in that meeting. I'd say he's the one who needs to be roared at."

"All right, Chad, I'm telling you straight." She took a breath, let it out trembling. "Chiffy said I'd better, or you'll never stop bothering me."

"What did I-"

"I'm not-Stop coming up to me like I'm going to do the mating dance-" She looked further down, boxed inside her wings, and blew a flaming sigh at her feet. "Please-stop following me."

"Chiffy follows you."

"Chiffy and I are close friends."

"I thought we were too."

"That was years ago. Chad. I don't want you to take this personally. But you're-not my type."

"We could be friends. I never asked for anything else."

"After this meeting thing, I'm not sure. I just don't want trouble. Any time you're there, things change, like at Chubren, I know you didn't mean to start anything. . ."

"Cherilla I would never cause you trouble."

Cherilla, near tears, flung her arms out. "But you do. And I'm sick of it. Please. Goodbye." She spread her beautiful wings and flew, leaving him standing among the picked bones.

"It's Chiffy, I know it! He's pushing you around!"

Cherilla circled back and landed in front of him.

"Chiffy does not tell me what to do! You don't know anything about us."

"So what have you two been doing huh." He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"None of your business. Grow up." She flew away, faster than before, though she glanced back a few times. Each time, Chad was looking at her.

Flaming the sky till his throat hurt, he glided on cool tides of wind down to old Chah's rim, high above his lair, among the highest points on all the island. What better place to go than the Ancient One, Himself?

Chad's feet gripped the black, crusty rim of the Old One, where boulders of cracked lava rock lay piled up. He sat on his haunches, letting his tail loll down the slope, burning weakly. Clouds were gliding in to fill the sky, heavy billows like the bellies of huge gray charizards hanging down. Many smaller volcanoes, Chah's first children, were nestled nearby, built on the foundation of their maker. This year Chubren was the only one waking for air. They're gods. But all they do is sleep.

Tears filled his eyes. "All you do is sleep," he growled into the volcano's hole, hanging on his echo. "I'm on the edge of despair, where are you."

Someone's wings flapping, and talons crunching in the rocks, made Chad whip his head up, puffing orange.

"Talking to himself and crying. If it isn't Chad on a good day."

Chad snapped his head over at Chiffy and growled a warning, then squinted down again. A tear fell on the rock between his feet. He stared at it with hatred.

"Looks like Cherilla gave you her message."

"Eat tail."

"And you had your hopes up." Chiffy kicked a pebble into the maw of Chah. "You thought she would do the mating dance with Mr. Metapod? Huh?" He picked up another pebble and pelted Chad's left haunch. "Answer me."

White noise drowned his thoughts as Chad whipped to his left, tail tip engorged with flame. He flung himself headlong into Chiffy, butting him in the chest. Chiffy gave a whoop, hand swiping air. Grasping the other male's arms Chad slammed him on the rough stones and flamed his face.

"Chaaaa-"

Chiffy scratched him in the groin and wrenched free. He twirled in the air, tail spinning fire in an ember attack. Chad groped for Chiffy through the flames. Their bodies wrapping, they went rolling down the slope. The side of Chad's head struck a rock. Dizzied, he loosed his hold and Chiffy wriggled out.

"You wanna battle?" Chiffy bit into Chad's shoulder and twisted. Roaring Chad tore at the head, ducking to bite. Chiffy jumped back and rammed Chad's belly, his claws hanging him on the flesh like a turtle shell.

"RrrAAAAAArrrr!" Chad's greater weight smashed on top of the male attached to him, then retreated dodging a claw's swipe at his neck. He spun in an ember. Stripes of fire knocked Chiffy tail over feet. The male jumped into flight, swooped overhead. Wiping blood from his eye, Chad whirled just in time to leap, spread-eagled; their chests collided with a smack. Grasping, they rolled further down the hill in a ball of their fires. Chad dug his foot against the rocks, spreading his legs and halting the fall. Springing back, Chiffy swung his tail and hit him in the mouth with a loud pop. Blood spattered in the air. As Chad roared in pain, Chiffy made a gurgling noise; from his open jaws gushed a firespin. The flame-snake coiled Chad, his neck snapped back. Through the fire he glimpsed Chiffy.

"Yeah baby! Had enough?"

Chad flapped his wings and broke free, dripping blood from his mouth. Panting he breathed a fully powered flamethrower. Chiffy ducked it. "That the best you can do?"

Chad flew up, feeling bruises in his wings. He swooped in and kicked. Chiffy flipped sideways, scuffing down the rocks. As he bent over to get up Chad flew higher. Chiffy pursued him and they tore at each other in the air. Chad's foot swiped three parallel cuts in Chiffy's stomach.

"You're mine, loser."

Chiffy slipped above. As Chad spotted him overhead, shadow and flame against the overcast sky, Chiffy folded his wings and dived. His feet landed in Chad's gut.

Chad's back and horns smacked the rocks, the wind knocked out of him. Chiffy pounced on his front. Chad gasped once, then jaws closed on his neck. Everything went black.

A big cold raindrop slapped his eyelid.

"Huh, you're awake."

Cracking caked blood, Chad's eyelids opened. Chiffy, standing on the rim above, came into focus; a gory stripe streaked the left side of his face, from brow ridge to jaw. Chad struggled to his feet; he ached and stung in a hundred places, including his mouth where several teeth were a little loose. He looked down at himself; the pebbly skin was smeared with drying blood. Dirt and debris stuck to it.

Chad climbed painfully to the top of the rim and flew up onto a boulder higher than Chiffy. Raindrops hissed on his tail as he began cleaning himself. The flames stung his wounds.

As he sat down to groom his lower belly and tail, Chiffy joined him on the neighboring rock. "Maybe now you'll be polite and answer when I talk to you."

Chad stood up with his wings to Chiffy, preening the nasty shoulder bite.

"Chah, that battle was nothing." Chiffy brushed dirt off his belly. "You're bigger, I thought you'd be a match. But nah, you're pathetic, as usual. I'll just say this. If I see you talking to Cherilla again I'll beat you up worse. You're lucky I didn't carve your cock out while you were fainted."

Before Chad could check his entire body, he felt rumbling in his horns.

"Rrr. . .?" Chiffy was cut short as Chah's belly-deep growl rose. Lava rocks dislodged, tumbled into the volcano and down the slope. The rock Chiffy was standing on fell; Chiffy tumbled headlong into darkness. "Chaaaarrr..."

Chad launched himself up, wincing at the pain. He might hate Chiffy but he wouldn't watch him die in a rockfall.

On the upsweep of his wings, his legs-or the quake?(he would wonder for the rest of his life)-dislodged the boulder beneath him. With a giant crack it rolled out from under Chad's feet. As Chiffy came flying up, the boulder smacked him.

"Chiffy!" Chad swooped into the volcano as Chiffy's wings and tail wrapped the boulder, a comet flaming away. Chad tucked his wings and dived, but gravity outpaced him. The boulder slammed Chiffy down on his right wing. His pale underbelly whipped like a snake on the black rocks as the tremors stopped dead, all except for one long, bellowing noise.

Chiffy screaming. His face clenched, mouth stretched wide. Chad gained his wits and swooped forward to roll the boulder off the pinned wing.

"Chaaaarrr, no!"

Chad roared, putting the meat of his back into pushing the shoulder-high boulder, realizing he would have to break more bones rolling it off. He ignored the stray scratch of the panicked charizard's feet. The boulder tipped over beyond Chiffy's head, trapping the wing near the top spike. The boulder now lay on its biggest side. Chad dug his claws under it, but could not budge it. Screaming anew, Chiffy sprayed Chad with a flamethrower. "Fuck you!"

"Let me dig you out."

Chiffy's screams died to gurgling growls; Chad finally freed the crumpled wing, a wreckage of blood, bruises and bone.

"Don't touch it!"

"It's out."

"I know it's out-you-" Chiffy tried to stand up but collapsed, curling. "It's-killing me!" His tail lashed like a mad snake, swinging its flame in the dark. "Help me! Get my daddy! Oh, I want Daddeeeee!"

It was raining even harder when Chad emerged into open air. He called as he flew, his tail flame trailing vapor. Seeing Chad's condition, the first people he found didn't need much convincing.

"He's down here." Chad led Chizmo, Cherilla, and Chunder down into the deep chamber. Chiffy was lucky to have landed where he had. Any farther over he would have tumbled down a wide fissure to his death. Chah had stirred today. Had the Great Flaming One really done this on purpose, punishing Chiffy for his offenses?

Chiffy lay where Chad had left him; his head pressed down against his chest. "RrrAAaarrrr. . ."

"Chiffy!" Cherilla landed at his side, took one look at his wing and burst into tears.

"Cherilla-Daddy-"

Chizmo looked near tears himself as he shook his head at Chiffy's wing. Then he straightened his face. "That's some fall you took, even without the rock. We'll need to be careful flying you out. Just stay calm and fold in your good wing. Don't try moving the other one-"

"I can't, I can't even feel it-"

"Just stay still. You'll be okay. Cherilla, can you take him under the shoulders?"

Cherilla collected her composure, nodded and bent to help him. She started murmuring something to Chiffy but he cut her off with a hiss.

"Chad, you'll take his tail-"

"No!" Chiffy's tail whipped Chad's stepping foot; Cherilla yelped, wings opening. Chiffy's eyes lit in a Leer. "Get that murderer away from me."

"What?" Chizmo's eyes narrowed in their nests of wrinkles.

"What?" Chad's eyes popped wide.

"In the earthquake-he pushed the rock on me." Chiffy glared, his face pinched by pain. "You know you did it. You were looking me in the eye."

All Chad's pity steamed away. Flame squirted past his clenched teeth. "You liar."

"Aaahr!" Chiffy threw his arms up in front of his face. His tail curled between his legs.

"He's-" Chad looked from Chizmo, standing akimbo, tail waving; Chunder, taking a step back from Chad, and Cherilla, her mouth open in shock. She burst into tears again.

"He's lying!"

". . .And I had just told him all those things. . ." Cherilla blubbered in a squeak, her face in her hands. "Chad how could you. And in a sacred place. . ."

"I pushed that rock off you!" Chad lowered his neck below his shoulders, glaring down at the injured heap of Chiffy. "It was an accident! The tremor-it came out from under me-"

"I saw you push it!" Chiffy craned his head up at Chizmo. "Oh, Daddy, everything you ever said about him is true." Chiffy himself burst into tears.

"Get out." Chizmo stepped around his mangled son, toward Chad who was backing up quickly.

"You can't believe-"

"Never touch another member of my family again! You attacked me, now you've ruined my son! Get out of here you shame on Chah's flame! How dare you even fly within this chamber."

Chad took a last look at Cherilla crouched by Chiffy crying, and with all his might flapped his wings up toward the light. But before he left into the rain, he looked again. He could have sworn he'd seen Chiffy give a subtle nod of the head-and a teary look of Serves you right.

He flew home to his family lair and hid in his bedroom. But Chizmo and the other two elders-and Chunder, and Cherilla. . . gathered and perched outside, waiting, next morning.

". . .And now, Cherilla," said Chizmo in the shortening shadow of Golem's Peak, "will you tell your story."

Cherilla stood up beside Chiffy, who sat propped against a rock. "Well, I had been talking to Chiffy on the day of the. . . accident. Chad liked to follow me around but I was getting nervous that-something would. . .happen." She glanced around. "I told Chad we'd be better off as-staying away from each other? And he kind of took it the wrong way-I said not to take it personally. He was very upset."

Beside his parents, Chad crouched, feeling his credibility fraying.

Chizmo nodded sagely. "And now, my son shall tell his side of what happened."

Chiffy shifted against the rock, squinting with pain. A day later his wing looked worse instead of better, bloated and bluish well beyond the breakage points. "I'll tell my side all right. I was flying along, and I stop to rest by the edge of Chah. For a little meditation. Then comes Chad, huffing and puffing up the sky. I say whoa, slow down, what's the matter-and he says you're the matter, and then he just pounces-"

"You liar I was there first!"

"Order!" Chizmo bellowed like a tired horn. The other adults-Cherilla, her parents, and Chunder-regarded Chad with disdain. Cherilla's mother snorted and tossed her head.

"Continue, son," said Chizmo.

A day's passing had apparently nurtured Chiffy's tall tale more than his wing. "So Chad jumps me. What can I do? I can't turn down a battle. So I jumped to the side-I hold him back-"

"All right, son, what happened at the end of the battle," said Chizmo.

"I whooped his ass again, like always. I know he looks bad, but he just wouldn't quit. I had to defend myself. Then Chad wakes up. Now. . ." Chiffy looked at the sky, then at Chad, then back at his dad. "The earthquake started. I got thrown from the edge, but I got my footing. Then Chad pushed me over. I'm falling, but I catch the wind, then, that was when it happened. Chad pushed the rock on me."

"How do you know Chad pushed it, that it didn't simply fall?" asked Chalderon.

"I saw him, I just barely saw him kicking it."

Chad couldn't stop the fire that stemmed out his mouth.

"He kicked it one more time and it fell. I had no idea what he was doing then a boulder was on top of me and smashing on my wing! Then he got down and tried to help me-cause he realized he hadn't killed me, and I guess he didn't have the balls to finish off the job by himself."

"You are so full of it-"

"CHAAArrrrr!" Chizmo glared at Chad, who tried very hard to keep himself from breathing fire or just flying away from this whole stupid thing. "Chad. Now, you may tell your story."

Though Chad knew his words were all truth as he told, he felt awkward explaining himself. "I admit I started the fight. But only after Chiffy began yelling insults and he wouldn't leave me alone! Now Chiffy," said Chad, turning to the crippled lizard, "I want to know how if you flew high enough above the rim to see me kicking that rock from behind, how you then slipped under it as it fell over the edge?"

"I turned to fly away, when I realized what you were doing!"

"So you flew back into the volcano to get away from the rock."

"Yes."

"You beat me in battle but you didn't know how to get away from a falling rock that you say you watched me push over the edge."

"You're easy as shit to beat in battle, and I was in a panic-you killer! Plus there was blood in my eye from where you scratched me."

"Well. . ." Chad thought again. "Wait! If you were flying away from the rock, how come it pinned you belly up?"

"It did get me the other way around, at first." Chiffy moaned, shifting position again. "I was turning around to get out from under it, I was almost out when I landed."

Chad's arms flung out. "Great Chah! Doing acrobatics under a falling rock-Can't you all see his story is so full of holes?" Chad spun around to look at everyone. "Can't you see?"

"I can," said Chigma. "My son is not the immature idiot that some make him out to be. He can be impulsive but never would he try to commit murder. Not even to a rival. Chad is sweet and loving."

"And Chiffy's story is not ringing authentic," said Chalderon. Standing up to his full height, Chad's father towered over everyone else. "Tell me how a story about doing flips beneath a falling boulder can prove that Chiffy is anything but. . .mistaken."

"Trapped by a falling rock, anyone would struggle to get free. That Chiffy turned to face the boulder shows a normal way of maneuvering past an object," said Chizmo. "It's possible Chiffy was not completely accurate in his account, but in life-or-death situations we tend to act irrationally and have poor memories of the event later on. Now let us examine motives. Chad and my son have never gotten along. In addition, Chad is infatuated with Cherilla, and on the same day, she turned him down. Then Chad just happened to fly past his rival, and couldn't resist-"

"He flew past me! I was already there!"

"Interrupt me one more time and you will not be permitted to speak at all. Anyway, Chad challenged his rival then and there. Now we all know such tiffs over females are common among young bachelors. And Chad, losing, would no doubt be filled with enough hatred to kill his own kind. Add a bit of an impulsive streak, and the explanation is simple. When the tremor started, he decided it was the perfect moment to eliminate my son while making it look like an act of nature."

"This is not a fair trial," Chad mumbled at his belly.

Chizmo squatted and stretched his feet out, sitting with his tail behind him. "Now Chad, please tell us why you didn't do it."

"Because you just don't go around killing people you hate." Chad shrugged at his statement. "Well, I don't."

Chizmo folded his bony, yellow-clawed hands. "You don't just go around attacking elders, yet you did. You don't spy on sacred meetings, but you did. You don't befriend humans, or prey, but you did. I've watched you grow up; physically at least. All your life you've been making horrendous choices on the spur of the moment. This vile act upon my own blood-is just one more drop in the lava pit."

Chizmo leaned on his knees and rocked as he got to his feet. He blew a puff of fire into the air. "If you live in the company of other charizards, you must obey certain rules, and this is something you don't seem to understand. You're guilty of attempted murder, in a jealous rage."

"Chaaaaaahhhr!" Spewing flames, Chigma beat her wings; Cherilla's parents held her back as Chalderon raged beside her, fighting Chunder. Chad saw one of his father's hands shoot through the orange mob. "This is no trial!"

"You hate me!" Chad lunged toward Chizmo as clawed hands seized him. He twisted, ignoring the blur in his eyes. He managing to flame Chizmo in the face before Chunder boxed the side of his head. "You've always been hunting for a way to get rid of me! Why!" He fell on his tail, beating his wings to get free. "Why!"

Chizmo flew above the struggle and landed higher on Golem's Peak. "Chad, you are no more. You have forsaken Chah's way, so Chah has forsaken you. You are no longer Chah's child. You are exiled from these volcanoes forever; until Chah comes forth to speak on your behalf, your soul is condemned to suffer eternally in the Cave of Ice and Darkness." He faced the others. "Chad is now Untouchable. You may remove him from here, but beyond that no mortal being must touch Untouchable, lest they too be dragged into Ice and Darkness. Chad has died."

"I'm not dead!"

They dragged Chad from his screaming parents, sucked into the flaming grove of orange, red and tan bodies, blue wings. Over the trumpeting bellows wailed the siren scream of his mother. Chah had stirred only yesterday. How could he sleep now?

"You can throw me out but you can't kill me! You can't kill me!"

Chad kicked someone's belly, slapped away a hand, flamed Chunder's face and burst up in an ember, his wings and tail knocking them away. He flew, fast and furious, far over rocks and fields, just glad to get their hands off his body. Somehow, he wasn't as surprised at all this as he thought he should be.


	4. Sleeping Gods

4: Sleeping Gods

". . "chaaarr . ." Chad stood on a high cliff, wings tightly folded against the high-altitude wind that swayed his tail and beat on his neck. The mountains rolled blue in the distance. He flamed through his whole grooming routine, careful not to hurt the healing bruises and slash wounds. "Well where were you today Chah. Are you testing me?" His foot scuffed the rocky ground and sent a pebble over the edge. It bounced on a crag then disappeared towards the patchwork of grasslands, rock and firescars far below. In a distant clearing of young grass sprouting from ash, three Rapidash grazed, one Ponyta swishing its flame tail. Chad watched it toss its head in the sun and gambol on over-long legs; a charizard's vision, especially for distance, was extremely acute.

His parents couldn't fly after him, with Chaun to care for. Pidgeots and Fearows were known to snatch young charmanders off their parents' backs. Chad was old enough to make his own way; Chigma and Chalderon could no longer help him. Would his lagging hunting skills starve him out here? He craned his neck, scanning sky and cliffs for others of his kind. He appeared alone.

"It sure won't be the last time." Just a little while ago, chaos; now. . . the hollow wind. He scratched his arm, watching clouds float by. If he escaped the humans, then what? Charizards lived a few thousand years. He had to hole up in some unclaimed cliffside for a few millennia. Far from here and Cherilla.

"If I don't go insane." The words mumbled past his barely moving mouth. His wings spread, nearly rocking him back on his heels as the wind filled them. He thought of Cherilla, and the times they had had, playing on the rocks by the old caldera lake as charmanders. Until one day little Chiffy had climbed over the ridge. Chad dropped his jaw and blew a long branch of fire. It curved, stunted by wind, and flashed away.

"All you do is sleep!"

Chad's body crashed over the wind on strong, angry flaps, making beelines for each place he and Vixen hung around in. If he was lucky, Vixen would have seen the whole trial, like she saw everything else, and he wouldn't have to explain it in explicit detail.

He landed in the grass outside Vixen's rocky den. She would be having her midday nap. It was really just high noon now, and just this morning he had woken up in his own lair, with his own family. When you were Chizmo, it didn't take you long to eliminate your kid's rival.

"Vixen!"

He paced in a circle, watching his big feet, hating what he saw. Just when he was about to give up, she crept out, eyes squinted shut in the sun. Her nose moved.

"This had better be good. " She yawned, showing small, needly teeth. She stretched one eye open just long enough to glance at the scabby, bruised lizard.

When she finished screaming, she opened her eyes again. "Why didn't you warn me that Chiffy's been doing cosmetic work on you again! So it WAS you and him keeping me up yesterday afternoon."

"Thought you were used to it by now."

"If you woke me up to whimper about it, go lick your wounds somewhere I don't have to look at them."

"I'm untouchable."

"Go away. Bring me a Diglett and I'll listen to your story." She turned back around, her tails drooping.

"This is important. Turn around."

"Okay okay okay-"

"There was a tremor on Chah, Chiffy falls in, a rock smashes his wing, he says I pushed it, Chizmo believes him and now I'm in the Cave of Ice and Darkness." Had Chizmo really believed him? Did he hate Chad enough to do this to him just to get his way, or save that brat from his own words? He trembled like he'd just exerted himself. Funny how he'd told the worst trauma of his life in one sentence, but it felt like it had happened in a sudden storm. "So you didn't hear."

"No! I was out here! Sleeping! Oh-Chad! You poor thing!" She sat staring, gaping-jawed. So this was what it took to get sympathy from Vixen. It didn't last. "Well, what's done is done. What're you gonna do?"

"I don't know yet." He looked around. "It's a big island. I'll fly north, somewhere there's more space. Unless Chizmo's determined to make everyone know. I really hate that lizard." He brushed one wing against the other to rub an itching scab. "I think I'm in shock."

"I think so too, judging from your face. Listen, if you're heading north, you'd better take me along. I know my way around there a bit."

"Didn't know you were ever up north." In fact he knew she had never been.

"I've been here a little, there a little. Don't underestimate me, charizard. I'm not the one who got myself made an outcast. I had the sense to leave my kind as soon as things started getting slightly ugly. You tolerated too much, you were too wimpy. And I've been warning you about Cherilla since you met me! I guess you lizards don't catch on till it's too late. Pathetic, considering how long you guys live. Oh-and I hope you don't think you're really dead, or the Poké Gods have damned you just because that prune popped off and talked fancy. The smaller he shrinks, the bigger his ego grows."

Vixen walked around behind him and climbed onto his back.

"You know you're really coming along because you need me," said Chad as he spread his wings.

"You're taking me along because you need me. I don't need anyone."

"I'm sure that if I wasn't marked for humans before, I am now," said Chad as he soared with Vixen riding his back. "Unless I want to get captured, I have to find a volcano to hide in if we see any."

"Why volcano?"

Chad tipped his wings to catch a cool wind current, riding higher; Vixen gripped his neck for balance. "Humans can't go in lava or fire-it kills them. They're not of the fire element."

"And yet they seem to have no trouble hunting you guys."

He didn't mention yet that he was nervous about descending into any volcano. Once you were untouchable, the Pokégods didn't like it if you hung around in sacred places.

"I would say that calling this a volcano is stretching the truth."

"I'm not worried about terminology," said Chad as he circled down into the depths of a small volcano's rock cavern. Lava had once filled it and then drained out. "I'm hiding here for now, you can stay out there if you want." Immediately he wanted to take that back. What if she said yes, and left him alone in here! Normally solitude would have relaxed him, but after today he wanted someone to talk to.

"What, and let you babble yourself to death down here?"

Chad nodded to himself as he flew. He tried to grin, but it wouldn't come. He landed them on the bottom and Vixen jumped off, looking around in the light of Chad's tail flame. She sniffed the floor. "You know you're going to have to come out to eat and drink. And if you want to starve, well, I don't."

Chad felt dumb not having thought things through. "We have time."

"If your so-called doomsday is even coming." Vixen trotted around a rock, coming back around the other side. Chad stood on one foot to scratch an itch with the other. "I find it a hard swallow that humans would stick to that kind of timetable."

"Trust me."

Chad explored the cave, Vixen sticking close by because his tail was their light. They found no pools or streams. They stumbled on a large chamber where dozens of Zubats hung from the ceiling. Chad would have stayed to roast a few, especially since it was a chance for a "safe" meal, but Zubat before was stringy and spare stuff-and Vixen was tugging his leg and making him swear he would never drag her in here again. Chad covered his ears against their sonic screeches and sprayed a warning flamethrower as he backed out of the room. Vixen didn't leave his side again.

It was different when you were small. He had been there.

By the time they returned to where they had first landed, Chad's stomach was growling, so he flew them out. With Vixen watching hidden in the grass, Chad spotted a Rapidash, but the horse outran his attack. Vixen caught a Diglett, which she ate while Chad picked a few scrawny berries off the bushes. The sun had set now and it was quickly getting dark. "Think, at least now we know where to go to," said Chad. "We're still in a place where people might know me. I don't want to be seen."

"What would they do if they did see you."

Chad ate the last berry in sight and turned a nut in his hands, trying to pick it open. "I'm not sure. Before they just ignored me, or. . ."

"Called you names. . ."

"But I was never untouchable." He cracked the shell, roasted it, and popped it in his mouth. Not bad, but not meat.

Chad drank a ton of water, partly because he was starving, partly to store up for later-from a large, clear mountain pool near the cavern. He caught himself two Zubats-few had returned to roost now that Chad was there. They slept peacefully in the cavern. Chad woke up three times to pee.

Next day, his hunting luck was better and he caught a Ponyta. He was so hungry that he chowed down right in the field. Filling his mouth with the rich yet tender meat felt so good after yesterday! He looked about to make sure a pack of Arcanine hadn't caught the scent of blood, then continued to gorge. As he swallowed another red mouthful he felt Vixen's annoying paw poking the side of his squatted leg.

"Chad."

"I said you could share."

"No!"

Licking his chops, he curved his neck back at her. Her tails stood on end; one front paw lifted. Pointing.

A human in mostly white clothing stood way down the field. It was a male, and it was walking towards them.

"If your nose wasn't buried in blood you would have smelled it too you clod!" Chad covered his ears as the Vulpix, scrambling on his pebbly skin to get on his shoulders, screamed as he lifted off, snatching the rest of the kill to his chest. No way was he leaving it!

As he flapped powerfully over the rocks and dropped into the cave he heard the human shouting, but without flight, no human could make it up these cliffs without long hours of sweat and toil. They finished the meal inside. Twice as the sun set, Chad flew out to check on the human. But it was gone.

Cleaned off from the meal and the day's work, he lay down watching the nearly full moon as it passed over the jagged eye of the cavern entrance high above, casting silver light down, contrasting with his tail's warm flickers. He could practically hear it whispering his fate to him. Curling his neck around till his head rested near his shoulder, he closed his eyes. After tomorrow, I'm heading north.

What would the humans would do if they didn't get him? Catch one of his family?

Chizmo and Chiffy were the candidates he hoped for. He snorted bitter laughter.

What if it were Cherilla.

They might even get mad enough for a raid.

Couldn't he even uphold his right to freedom without feeling like a selfish little charmander?

The squawking of Spearows outside woke Chad early in the morning. He dragged himself awake to find Vixen had already eaten breakfast. Chad licked the last Ponyta scraps, then gave in to curiosity.

"Be right back," he said taking flight. He had to know if it was humans out there. Had they made their catch?

Vixen jumped up. The bone she'd been gnawing clunked on the floor. "What are you doing you nut! Come back here and take me with you!" She grabbed his stout ankle, tails bushy and fanned behind her. Mystified, Chad bent down and she hopped on. She really was scared for him. As he flew, her front paws clasped in a lasso round his neck.

"Calm down."

"Calm down? You idiot, can't you see if you're caught or hurt or whatever I'll starve down there! If the Zubats don't get me first!"

He hadn't thought of that. "You mean you don't trust me?"

"Why would I want to depend on a charizard? Now quick, get this over with. A last water trip?"

"Yeah. And be nicer to me or I will leave you. Or throw you."

"You wouldn't."

Chad poked his head out into the still-gray new morning. Not a human to be seen. Three Spearows circled and squawked down the mountain, far away but not unreasonably so. Well, maybe a little unreasonable. "Let me down." Vixen squirmed on his shoulders. She slid off and took a few steps toward the little pool. "Aren't you coming too?" she said over her shoulder, watching him spread his wings again.

"I'll be right back, gotta see something."

Vixen bugged her eyes out, then rolled them. She would be so cute, if only she put on a nice expression. "You'd better be back in a matter of minutes! That was a HUMAN we saw yesterday!"

Chad flew down to the Spearows, glad to be free of Vixen for the moment despite the risk. His tail flame shone brightly in the still-dim dawn. Now he heard another sound, a little voice crying. It sounded like a Pokémon in pain, a young Pokémon.

"What is that?" Chad looked around, belatedly checking for humans or other charizards, but his caution was halfhearted. He landed near where the three Spearows were swooping and diving at some small creature hiding between rocks. Chad got closer and saw the swiping paw of a Meowth.

"Stop it!" The Meowth cried, trying desperately to shield his face with his small paws. He had to protect his golden charm...if he didn't, the charm might come off and ruin any chance of his evolving. One Spearow landed with its feet straddling the crack in the rocks, and thrust its beak in.

"Leave him alone!" Chad tried to make himself look more fearsome by puffing his wings out, even though it probably wasn't necessary.

"Why?" The Spearow crowed, looking up from the crack. "You're just Chad, the pathetic charizard!"

"Who can't even fire spin!" squawked another.

"How do you know?"

"You think we have no idea what's going on with other species?" said the first Spearow. He dived to peck at the Meowth again, missed and flapped back up. "Charizards have a tough time saying anything quietly!"

"Or doing anything!" said the third. "We watched you battle yesterday. We all saw you get creamed!"

Chad scrunched his toes, feeling stupid. The Spearow took flight again and thrust its beak at him, as if to aim at his eyes. Honestly! He squinted, stretched his neck, opened his mouth and took a huge breath.

"Well spearows-charizards ALSO have a tough time going without breakfast!"

With a mighty roar Chad hosed out fire. The Spearow shrieked and dove to the side, barely evading the flames unfurling up toward it. The other Spearows squawked, turning tail feathers on him as they flew away.

Vixen was running down over the rocks and grass tussocks, and reached Chad, panting. She strutted over beside Chad's right leg. "Gonna peck him? Huh?"

"Hmph! Bad aim!" The Spearow flew higher. "That happened to be our lunch! I can't believe I had to meet a charizard who has nothing better to do than defend kittens! Chad Charizard really is pathetic!" the bird squawked, now gaining height.

Chad extended his wings. . .

"Chad please! You fly up there you'll be seen!" Vixen was sitting up on her hind legs, shaking her paws up at him, the Meowth curled into a ball of cream-colored fur against her bushy tails. "You let a Spearow get the better of you, you'll sure live up to their words."

Chad landed. The bird wasn't worth the hunt. It was getting lighter, he had to get back to the cave.

The Meowth had crept out from the rocks. Seeing Chad looking at him, he hissed and scampered behind Vixen.

"Oh. . ." Chad held one hand out.

Vixen looked over her shoulder at the little cat Pokémon. "Don't worry, Chad's a friend. Stupid, but nice."

The Meowth peeped out from behind Vixen, staring at Chad with huge, round eyes with slitted, brown pupils. Its big brown ears pressed back against its head, its teeth bared. Chad effected a smile.

The kitten giggled. He was a young Meowth; too young to be on his own. Hopefully his mother would show up soon. "Silly guy!" he said.

Chad's smile faded.

"That's Chad," said Vixen fixing him with her own sharp gaze. "Well? Can we go back now?"

"Uh. . ." said Chad, coming closer to the Meowth, "what's your name?"

The Meowth tried to jump over Vixen's back and landed on her instead, but scrambled over in the second try. As Vixen lick her fur smooth again with an annoyed look, the Meowth bounded over to Chad. He stood on two legs with his tail curled at the tip.

"Uh..." said the Meowth, "Mo."

"Where do you live, Mo?" said Chad. "We can take you home."

Vixen growled very quietly.

Mo sat down, his dark ears drooping, and looked down at his paws. "I don't have a home anymore."

"Oh. . .Why not?"

"My mother-and my sisters and brother-" Mo's voice cracked. His mouth opened wide in a silent cry, which became a loud mewing. "These creatures came and threw magic balls out. Monsters came out and beat up my family. Then the big creatures threw balls at them, and they disappeared. I ran and ran, now I woke up here and birds were trying to get me."

"They were humans, Mo," Chad put his hand on Mo's shivering back. Mo cried against his arm. "You can stay with me. I'm trying to hide from humans too."

"And you won't eat me?" Mo sniffled, looking way up at him.

Chad patted Mo's shoulder. "Nope."

"Wow!" Mo's mouth stretched in a smile that revealed two tiny, sharp canine teeth.

"Now we've got to get back to that cave, kitten or sans kitten." Vixen had walked a couple paces away towards the mountain's peak. "Your humans'll be here any minute, Chad. That could've been us! This was the stupidest-" She glanced at Mo. "This was one of the riskiest things you've ever done."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," said Chad as she mounted his shoulders.

She batted his orange head. "Don't get smart with me, lizard."

Chad growled.

"Hey you two."

Both looked back at Mo, who lashed his little tail.

"No fighting."

Smiling, Chad scooped up Mo in his left hand. "We're not really fighting. Now hold on and don't wiggle." Chad lifted off.

"I'm flying!" Mo's fuzzy body shivered with excitement in Chad's hand. Chad flew them higher, his tail-tip marking their trail through the air, away back to the cave. Chad was looking down at the goggle-eyed Mo, when Vixen brutally scratched his neck.

"Ow, what the-"

Ahead, on the mountaintop, Chizmo's bony toes gripped the rock.

"Now you've done it!" Vixen's breath flamed his horns. "If you hadn't come traipsing out here-"

"You wouldn't be heading for any of Chah's sacred caverns, would you, Untouchable?" Chizmo called from the mountain's peak.

"My name's Chad." Chad glided closer, flaming at the out-of-range elder. They were alone out here.

"Untouchables have no name, especially no name of Chah. I see you are unruly and impudent even after spiritual death."

"Yeah, well-"

"Come no closer!" Chizmo flapped up with surprising speed. His tail lashed, making arcs of orange light. He landed in front of the lava tunnel. "It is my duty as oldest elder to make sure the Untouchable do not spread their disease over our holy hunting grounds. And the humans have arrived looking for a specimen. If you were smart, you would have left the area. Being as there are no places here suitable for the damned to shelter in."

Chad flew up to him. "I don't want to have to fight you." It was simple. Chad would beat Chizmo till he couldn't fly back. Then he would be caught. And probably croak on them after a week. Poetic justice.

Three more charizards flew up from behind the peak: Chunder, and Cherilla's parents, filling out the anti-Chad campaign. Again Chizmo opened his wrinkled, half-toothless mouth, as the sun peeked over the horizon behind Chad.

"So you got nothing better to do than stalk me?" screamed Chad.

It was like Chizmo hadn't heard him. (Maybe he hadn't.) "Fighting would be foolish. Here you are now an outcast. Even with the chance to gain a loyal human friend, your stubborn, childish streak overcomes all."

"You make captivity sound so appealing."

Chizmo rolled his wrinkle-embedded eyes and shrugged, like he'd given up.

Vixen smacked Chad's right horn. "Quit the one-liners and get us out of here!"

Chad whiffed out a snip of flame and flew away, lifting his tail at Chizmo.

"With your little friends surrounding you, poor untouchable still fails to see the light. Do you actually think the females up north will give you a second glance?" Chizmo called after the fleeing Chad. When Chad looked back to make sure they weren't chasing him, they were gone.


	5. Bitch Vs Bitch

5: Bitch Vs. Bitch

"Well," said Vixen as Chad landed them behind a cliff, "no going back there. It was drafty anyway, not to mention it smelled."

"That would be the Zubats," said Chad. "I can drop you off at your den now."

"Nice try but Chad, I gotta be honest with you. The more you try to stay out of trouble, the more interesting it gets. I have no idea what you're going to fly into next, but I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I would."

"What's that?" Mo lifted a paw and pointed behind them. Up behind the cliff rose two pointy brown objects, spiking the sky in a V. They looked like two. . . giant ears. As they lifted higher, the long, pointy ears nearly met, attached to a monstrous head, like a brown cloud-larger than the biggest Onix. It was a gigantic Eevee.

"Oh Chah my lunch has come to haunt me!" Vixen dashed behind Chad, tails bushed, as Chad spread his wings for flight and flamed in alarm. They were no match for this monster!

Or were they? Something was off about the texture; there was no fur, only color. And the eyes were...not right. The Eevee's head rose above the cliff, attached not to an appropriate body, but a big hanging basket. This was a floating vessel, and it carried two humans.

"Sorry to scare you wild Pokémon!" screeched one, a young woman with light, frost-blue hair.

"We've come to rescue you from the back woods!" said the other, a young man with greeny-brown hair and brown eyes. The balloon floated up over the rocks; Chad scooped up his companions and flew. Landing on rocks across a grassy field, the three of them watched the balloon float. Chad wasn't sure what to do. Rather than keep fleeing, it might pay to wait for a chance to attack.

The balloon drifted closer and the two humans began to speak again.

"Prepare for trouble!" said the woman.

"And make it double!" said the man.

"To poach all Pokémon from the woods."

"To help evil triumph over good."

"To conquer all our opposition."

"To carry on the Rocket tradition."

"Jewel!"

"Gloen!"

"Team Rocket grabbing every Poké egg!"

"Surrender now or fall down and beg!"

"Euuuueeeeeeeeee!" came a sound like claws on smooth rock; Chad's horns and teeth hurt. Vixen turned her head, wincing; Mo covered his ears.

An Eevee jumped up onto the gondola's edge between the two humans, and finally ended its screech. "Hee hee hee, says Evil Eevee!" The thing could speak human. "Let's land this heap already!" To Chad and company, it said, "Prepare as we turn you into profits!"

"Will you kindly shut up and step out?" said Jewel. The balloon landed on the grass, jostling its passengers.

"Up yours!" said the Eevee. Jewel slapped it off the edge and the fur ball bounced into the grass, giving another screech. "Eevee help Gloen with the curtain!" Jewel joined them, hauling some large thing out the back of the gondola as Gloen tied the balloon down.

"Maybe you ought to attack now," said Vixen. "They look vulnerable."

"Yeah." Chad flew down to the balloon, a giant head perching on the grass. He was up for some food. Nearby, the humans had pulled out a huge object draped with a dark red cloth. As Chad glided closer, Jewel and Gloen whipped away the cloth to reveal a giant, tunnel-like hose. The Eevee jumped atop it, grinning like she was all that.

"Now, Eevee!" said Jewel.

"So long, suckers!" The Evil Eevee pressed a button with her paw and laughed as the hose made a whirring noise that turned to a roar. Chad, in the air and close by, felt the sudden current. He tried to flap free but could not resist the pull. His heels dug furrows through the grass, with no rocks to grab onto. His tail and wings whipped back as the sucking hose picked him off the ground and beamed him in by the gut. At the last minute he splayed his limbs to catch the rim. His belly plugged the hose with a ploomp, caught in the world's biggest kiss.

"Oh dear, it's too small!" cried Gloen.

"Your fault, Gloen, your fault!" said Jewel.

"*Chaaaaarrrr!*" To the thunder of his roar lashed out a body of orange, a flamethrower big enough to engulf the whole machine.

But it bounced back in his face, and dispersed leaving the Eevee still sitting there laughing.

"Stupid brute! Thinking it can solve everything with fire!"

"Behold the wonders of modern technology!" said Jewel.

"A forcefield is a beautiful thing," said Gloen.

"Can I crank it up?" Evil Eevee cranked up the force of the hose. Chad felt like his insides were going to bust his scales. Flaming and clawing the edge of the hose, he roared in pain.

"NO ONE liposuctions my friends against their will and gets away with it!" screamed Vixen, bounding from the rocks. "Especially not my prey!"

"Eui!" Eevee leaped off the vacuum. "Guys help me!"

Chad watched the Eevee disappear into the grass with Vixen hot on her fluffy, beige-tipped tail. Moments later he heard another ear-twisting screech. Vixen's tails backed out of the grass first as the Vulpix dragged her prey up on a low rock by the back of the neck.

"Turn that thing off or I have myself an Eevee barbeque!" she said through the wriggling Eevee's fur. The Eevee peeled the air with another screech; Vixen's ears flattened, her jaws holding a firm grip.

"They can't understand you!" roared Chad.

"I think they'll get the picture!" said Vixen, pinning the Eevee's kicking legs down with her paws.

"Guys!" Evil Eevee gasped for breath. "The bitch says if you don't turn the controls off-"

"I figured that!" Jewel dove for the controls after Gloen. "Turn it to blow!"

The blast of wind launched Chad in the air like a cannonball, wings over feet over tail.

"Vixen, Mo!" Catching the air, Chad swooped away from the humans, up the field. Mo was running to them and Chad held his hands out to grab him, still in flight with his feet brushing the grass.

"Chad they were gonna suck your tummy out!"

"Stop moving for just one second! Out of my way Mo!" Vixen grabbed the base of one of his stretched wings to reach his shoulders. When she had a good seat, he zoomed for the nearest volcano with Mo in his arms.

Vixen clung to his neck against the rough wind as Chad climbed into the air. She managed to swat him on the right horn. "Do I get a thank-you?"

"Ow! Will you let me fly us up, and catch my breath?" His stomach was still sore and tingling. "Vix, I'll never be able to thank you enough. I knew you had it in you."

"You think I was gonna let an Eevee show me up? Or let a life debt to a charizard hang over my head?"

"You'd save me again if you had to."

"We'll see about that."

She had no idea.


	6. Beached

6: Beached

"Please let me in! Corinne, are you in there? It's Chad! Remember me?"

"Go find your own place to hide!" called a male voice inside the entrance to the volcano, which had been temporarily sealed with black lava rock, except a small hole. The humans must have attacked this place too. Chad poked his sniffing nose toward the hole and out shot a hand full of claws. Charizards didn't like trespassers.

Chad growled deep. "Where's Corinne and who're you?"

He heard Corinne's voice, from farther within.

"Chad, go sniff under someone else's tail! And get out of here before you attract the humans' attention!"

"I wasn't-"

The male's clawed hand swiped out again. "Just try sticking around. Just try it, Chad."

Chad gave a fire breath into the hole; fire spumed out in reply. Mo yowled in fright. Vixen screamed.

"Sorry Mo," he said stroking the Meowth as he abandoned the hole and flew on.

"Well that was number four," said Vixen. "Looks like your council made the rounds. Can you please not make any counterattacks with me on your back?"

Chad blasted the air with orange. "We gotta get out of this whole region, it's packed."

"We don't have time! If you glide around, those humans-"

"We'll hide by the shore. No one'll look for a charizard in a beach cove."

Chad flew southeast. He had been to the shore often, and soon he smelled salty, fishy air and heard the cry of seabirds. He glided over pinkish shoreline rocks, where scraggly grass tufts struggled in cracks and ledges. Cold green waves below them, beautiful but deadly, exploded into white and hissed on the beaten sand.

Beyond the region of Chah and His volcanoes, there were few charizards for miles. He could fly all day and not see one; the hunting was said to be better too. Chad flew them past splashing waves at the entrance of a high, dry cavern. The moving water, swatting huge paws closer as the tide rose, kept Chad awake, watching the monster's undulations between him and outside. He felt better when it began to recede.

"I don't think we're being followed," said Vixen, lying near Chad on the pink rocks inside. "Not that I'm going to give humans the benefit of the doubt. You have a talent for picking up enemies, despite your harmlessness."

"Meowth!" growled Mo. "I'm hungry."

"Me too." Chad rubbed his visibly shrunken gut, which also sported a ring of bruises from the suction hose. It looked like a Gyarados had given him a hicky. "My parents are probably worrying themselves sick."

"I would too if I were them." Vixen yawned, resting her head on her front paws. "But I'm dropping. Wake me up when there's food or an emergency."

Ignoring his rumbling stomach, Chad settled on the highest ledge and lay on his back, letting his legs fall to either side. He had closed his eyes when a small, fuzzy creature wriggled against his shoulder.

"You're warm. Good night," said Mo, even though it was midday.

"Night."

But Chad's stomach rolled with nervousness, in addition to hunger. Even the ledge he lay on, high off sea level, was too low and accessible to make good charizard shelter. A rare Gyarados or hungry Arcanine pack might wander in, but humans were the real danger now. All the years past when he'd hidden in the volcanoes, it had always been someone else.

He rolled over and curled his claws on the rock, displacing Mo who jumped down and joined Vixen below. Life was not fair.

He had thought he would miss his family more now, but he had often slept away from home before. All in all, he felt strangely normal. In his mind he mounted a golden Cherilla and pumped himself empty. Afterward, he felt sad.

Chiffy would never fly again. Old legends told of charizards who, having become permanently grounded, hurled themselves off cliffs into the ocean, unable to bear the loss of freedom. Chiffy had given Chad quite a reward for failing to finish the job. I wish I DID push that stupid rock.

Oh well, Chizmo was stuck with him now.

He snorted twin jets of flame from his nostrils, a charmander's trick he'd copied from Chiffy. A beetle walked by, and he stopped flaming till it passed.

A shadow came scrambling into the cave over the pinkish rocks, going on all fours at times, but more often two. Its long, tall body was covered in clothing.

Gloen.

Chad lifted his neck, wings unfolding as the human looked into the cove. He curled his tail-tip close behind him till he felt the flame at his back. "Vixen." Vixen didn't wake up. "Vixen."

Mo yawned. "Good morning."

"Shhh."

The human was creeping cautiously into the firelit cove, towards Chad who sat too high to be reached. Mo gasped; now Vixen lifted her head and saw. Gloen put his hands on his hips. "Ah. Thought we'd find you around here. We did want a charmander, but we're pressed for time. A fine big specimen is sure to wow some rich sucker."

"Be quiet and let's get this over with," called Jewel, running in over the rocks. They appeared sans machine, and sans Eevee. "He's not ours yet."

Chad straightened up, jutted his neck forward and breathed fire, but they both dashed behind a large rock. Chad glided down, mouth watering, and ran round the rock, planning to make short work of these idiots. You didn't just stroll into a charizard's lair and net one!

Mo stood on the ledge mewing "Chad!" He glimpsed Vixen darting behind some rocks.

In the light of his tail and from outside, Chad barely made out the humans, many yards away now. What was a human, anyway? They couldn't fly, flame or even scratch very good.

"Chad, burn them away!" said Mo.

"I'm trying! You just hide."

Mo jumped down from one rock to the next, onto the floor. He trotted after Vixen, then broke into a gallop.

He wasn't fast enough.

The man had left the rock he'd been hiding behind, and keeping one eye on Chad and the other on Mo, he brandished a red and white ball a little bigger than a plum.

"Poké Ball go!" He wound up and whipped it at Mo. Mo didn't have a chance to scream before the ball hit him; he transformed into red light that curled into the ball. The ball clapped closed, wiggled once and sat still.

The man's hand swooped and grabbed it. "I can't believe it, I caught a Pokémon!"

"We're not here to chase kittens! Get the charizard!" Jewel whipped out her own Poké Ball.

"Gimme Mo now, alive, or I flame ya." Chad exhaled a long yellow plume, demonstrating. He didn't want to kill him yet; they had Mo. If Mo was alive. "Next one gets you."

Gloen chuckled. "We've left our machines behind in favor of doing this the old-fashioned way." His arm wound back clutching another Poké Ball.

"Did you hear me?" Chad said. Why didn't his threats ever impress?

"Poké Ball. . . go!"

The ball pelted Chad and in an instant he felt himself disintigrating. He tried to Rage, but he could not move. Everything faded away to a reddish light. Somewhere far away he heard Vixen screaming. . .

Suddenly the light faded to black. Chad felt a calm peace, but he was inside this thing against his will. So Mo was alive. His mind fought, struggling to regain his body, then the darkness gave way and he materialized back outside.

"Ah my prized charizard," said Gloen behind him. Chad whirled around, chin lowered and muscles tight. "So you want to fight." About ten yards away, he thrust his hand out, holding another ball. "Blastoise, go."

Chad lowered his head, huffing out short fireballs in threat. Their last chance to beat it. There was no Blastoise here.

The man's finger pressed a button on the ball as Chad engulfed the air with a wide blast of fire. A huge hiss of steam rose from the fire and cleared to reveal a big, fierce-looking turtle Pokemon, as tall as Chad, and heavier.

He started to feel panicky now.

"Blastoise-Hydro pump!"

Chad let loose a flamethrower, but it barely brushed the upright turtle before two jets of water issued from its shoulders. The fire evaporated into steam. The Blastoise turned its cannons on the charizard.

Chad spread his wings, flapping furiously up. Vixen was running ahead of him, then under him; he heard her call out, and he scooped her in his hands. He felt the spray of water pelt his back and wings as he left the cove.

How high can that thing shoot, Chad wondered, climbing into the blue sky steeply. He glanced down at the cove; Jewel, Gloen and the Blastoise had run outside and stared up at him. Chad evened out to a glide over the water, easily riding the sea wind. He decided to loop around the rocks, then fly back in for the nearest volcano-Chah! The volcanos were all taken!

"At least they can't get us out here," said Vixen, who hung in his hands. "How long can you glide like this?"

"Long time." Gliding was easier than walking-he'd napped on the wing before-but Chad hoped he wouldn't have to do this long. He had heard of charizards soaring for days over ocean to arrive at Chah from the mainland, but hanging in the air with nothing but miles of sea below unnerved him. Nothing like a little water to remind a charizard of its mortality.

The man had Mo. But Chad couldn't risk death for him.

"Hey! Charizard!" came Gloen's voice, from the air. Chad turned around to see them both in the Eevee balloon, grinning. Including Eevee. A vessel fueled by fire, and on the hunt.

Chad swerved back toward the shore; the humans didn't follow.

"It's not coming," said Vixen. "Let's fly north this time-"

"So!" called Jewel, far away in the sky. "You want to do things the hard way? Well we're up for battle!" Chad looked behind him and when Jewel took out another ball, he snorted in disbelief. She couldn't hope to throw it half this far. No, she was going to pull out another monster. Chad rose higher, his nose breaking the air; Vixen's tails brushed against his stomach.

"Chad I'm getting sick!"

Then a cry from Jewel. "Moltres, I choose you!"

A flash of red shot from the ball and solidified into a huge, fiery orange bird, comparable to Chad in size, though more lightly built. Its long, broad wings swept up then down, catching the air.

"If you don't come down my dear Moltres will do it for you!" called the young woman. "Even if you beat it, we'll send Pokémon after Pokémon after you! Charizard, you're ours!"

Chad headed straight for the shore, to let Vixen out of harm's way and free his hands. Some of the wounds from Chiffy were still scabs, but if he had to fight, he could.

"Chad you are going to fly away as quickly as you can," said Vixen as he dropped her on a rock. "And that means faster than this."

"I know!" Chad's wings ached as the bird gained on him. It did not divert from him to chase Vixen; Chad was clearly the target. He circled to face the Moltres, only a fire-breath away. Rather than appearing aggressive, the Moltres glanced expectantly at the balloon, which hovered a safe distance away. Chad blew fire; the bird dived to dodge. It caught the end of Moltres' wing. Moltres squawked and flew back up again; Chad dived at it head first, boring down with an ember attack upside-down. He hit it; the bird cried out, its body flaring a shell of fire. If he could grab the creature it would be over, but Moltres was too quick.

"Moltres use your Dive Bomb!"

Moltres rose and dived down like lead. Chad barely evaded it. Moltres dove again, its talons cutting Chad in the chest; he heard the flesh rip. He grabbed the bird and both fire pokemon tumbled toward the sand in an orange fury. Chad got to his feet, a flag of red running down his stomach as he grappled with Moltres. With a beating of feathers and flame it tried to flap away, but Chad's hands held it down. Out from his mouth shot a long orange flamethrower, whipping Moltres' neck back like a leek. Chad slammed the bird on the ground and lunged with watering mouth. His blood coursed through him.

"Moltres, return." Jewel held forth the ball, and Moltres dissolved into red light which leaped away into the ball. Chad's foot threw sand in a shower out behind him. He roared, maddened by pain and hunger; the tremendous sound quivered his own wings.

"Chad, fly! Quit the blood lust thing!" Vixen cried, hidden among the rocks. Her words didn't even faze him, but having no prey now, his senses returned and he flew off again in retreat.

Jewel wasn't done. "Venusaur, go! Use Vine Whip, tie him down!"

Then he was flying into moist, snakelike tendrils. As Vixen screamed, dark vines lashed Chad's entire body. He flapped his wings, his tail arcing fire, and he landed, scudding on the sand. Struggling to walk, his neck squeezed by vines, Chad faced whatever had just tied him up. It was a big, blue-green creature on four legs with a flowering plant on its back. Flaming all over, Chad burned the vines off in one sweep. The Venusaur roared its pain. "Saauuurrr!"

"Gloen get your Blastoise! Venusaur, return!"

Out came the Blastoise from red light, thundering at him on the beach. It shot a stream of water that smacked Chad in the open mouth, washing away his unborn flamethrower and knocking him back. He coughed up water as more water blinded him. He tried to duck away, but if he turned his tail, the water might kill him. He tried to take off overhead, but Blastoise's water hit his wings with a whap, coming so hard it threw him off balance. He shuffled backward and concentrated on shielding his tail tip, wanting only to survive. The Blastoise easily advanced on him as Chad tried to look through the foam for something to hide behind.

"Easy now, don't faint him!" called the man. "Pokeball, go!"

The water dribbled away, leaving Chad wobbling on his thick legs, fighting dizzy stars. He wiped the water from his eyes as the ball hit him. Reddish light surrounded him, he became it and let go with a quiet whoosh into the ball. Then, silence.

The balloon landed and the humans poured out, running on the sand.

Gloen grabbed Chad's Poké Ball off the wet sand. "I can't believe it, the boss will be so happy with us!"

"We're rich!" Jewel's fist slammed the sky as Gloen gave Blastoise a Poké treat and then returned him to his ball. "Well Eevee, if you had let us use an evolution stone on you you might have been part of the glory but all you can hope for from this trip is to watch us get rich."

"Like I want to watch you two do anything?" said Eevee, watching the pair dance on the sand.

Further up the beach, Vixen had seen everything from behind rocks outside the cavern. As the three of them talked excitedly a distance from the balloon, she crept into the sunlight. The vulpix ran out over the disturbed and blood-dappled sand where the battle had been, then hopped onto the gondola's edge. Scanning the contents, she saw a small cargo container in the corner, piled over with duffel bags and backpacks. She opened the hatch and climbed inside, pinching one of her tails before she yipped and pulled it in. Ick-the whole interior smelled foreign-like humans. But through that stench was the unmistakable smell of food. She nosed in under clothes and supplies until her snout found the food container. The next time they peered in here they would probably have left Chah altogether. Well, good riddance.

"I must be as nuts as they always said I was," she muttered, biting and clawing at the Tupperware as she heard the fire jets blow softly. The balloon rocked and lifted into the air.


	7. Can't Find the Door

"Wow!" said Gloen when he opened the little trunk and saw Vixen's face. "A stowaway!"

"Catch it!" Jewel whipped out a Poké Ball. "Poké Ball go!" she cried as Vixen leaped out of the gondola onto unfamiliar grass.

Vixen dodged the ball with a leap up, glanced this way, that way, and ran off into some unfamiliar bushes, among huge tall plants that she would later learn were trees. The air was also cooler and smelled different; she knew that she was no longer on Chah.

"We should have expected to pick up a scavenger or two," said Jewel as she picked up the ball and returned to helping Gloen unload. She checked the food items and nodded, pursing her lips. "My tupperware."

"Don't worry that you no longer have a complete set," said Gloen. "The check from that charizard will more than pay for it."

Jewel seemed to forget about the gnawed container and the escaped Vulpix. She and Gloen went inside their house with their things, and she got on the phone.

"Boss," she said to the stern, 60-ish face on the screen, "you won't believe our luck! We caught a charizard just like you ordered." She held up Chad's Ultra Ball. "Not only is he healthy and young, he's big too. He even beat my Moltres."

"Excellent," said the boss. "Charizards are better than charmanders for the auction, people pay more just because there's more of him. Transport all your catches from the island straight to me. One of our handlers will deal with them in Saffron. When the sales close, your checks will be mailed. Good work and I'll be putting you on a new assignment this week."

Chad was floating. Encased in a Poké Ball, with no strength to fight it, he hovered without a body, as pure energy. He did not know how much time had passed when the click of a button sounded from all around, the almighty Click. Out he tumbled into a cold, strange place.

He stood up unsteadily; his body felt like it had right after the battle. In fact, he was still damp. The cold, slimy drops repulsed him more than the blood-crusted slash wound on his chest. He flamed himself dry and looked around.

A strange man had released him into a small cage. Besides him, the only things in here were a trough of water and a litter pan. Chad sniffed the water, and took a tiny lick, then a big drink. He was surprised at how wearily he stepped away from the trough. Beyond the bars the man stood with hands on hips, the empty pokeball in his fingers. He brought one hand up to his chin and felt the stubble there as he looked Chad over, checking out his stuff. Chad was too tired and hungry to attack.

Beyond the cage bars was a rectangular rock room, a cube like the cage. "Uh, if you can understand me, where am I. And what are you going to do to me. And where's Mo." And would he ever see Chah again.

The man smiled, shifting his weight to one foot. "I'd better show you to the boss. He wanted to have a look at you." Watching him go, Chad sank to his seat on the COLD floor. He got up, tail flame swelling briefly, then sat back down more slowly.

Flaming the guy would have been foolish; he held Chad's life in his soft clawless hands. To leave this cage, to drink, to eat, Chad needed his own enemy.

When the man returned with a little black rectangle thing in his hands, Chad was licking his chops. A square of light on the rectangle showed as the man pointed it at Chad.

"Okay, what do you think? He looks good to me." The man took away the square thing and looked at the light himself. The blueish light shone eerily on his face as he paused (Chad heard a tinny voice coming from the thing) then he spoke at it. "I'm not sure, he seems out of it. I'll have to see him in full health before I'd know. But he doesn't seem thrilled to be here."

"Would you be?" Chad growled as the man finished up the conversation and the light went out.

"Guess you're wondering what's up," said the human, facing the lizard. "I know you monsters aren't clueless. You're in the South Saffron City's Poké Kennel's reserved section. I'm going to get you to full health and sell you at the 236th Annual Rare Pokémon Auction in Saffron City in about a week. Your time slot is reserved. Now you rest up, I'll go get you something to eat."

The man turned and left.

"Wait!" Chad's hands clasped the cold iron bars. "What about Mo."

The man turned around. "What?"

Chad sighed, embarrassed. "The Meowth?" He tried to make a charade.

"Oh, the Meowth? Yeah, he's here too. I'll bring him in with your meal." He shook his head as he left. "Never met a charizard with a Meowth friend."

He came back with a large bowl, went to the far wall and pulled out a bag the size of his torso. On the front was a picture of a charmander and some squiggly things, in a row. "Not sure if you'll like it but it's what the breeders say they use." He bent over with the bag in both hands, and shook some into the big bowl, filling it. He took it to a nearby sink and added water, then slid the top part of Chad's cage door open, bent over and set it down. Part of Chad's mind said to pounce on the guy, but his reflexes would not obey fast enough. The human sprang up and out, sliding the door quickly closed.

Chad waited for the man to leave, but he only stood back, so Chad gave up on outlasting him and plunged into the food. He was just too hungry. It was some mix of meat and grain, chopped and moistened with water (the stuff at the bottom was partly dry and he had to crunch it). It wasn't a fresh kill, but it was pretty good. While Chad ate, he saw out the corner of his eye the door top sliding open again, just a little bit. The mad reached in and sprayed something at Chad's head. Chad lifted his head and sniffed the air-but there was no smell.

"Potion to help you recover," he said. "Won't hurt you."

Chad went back to eating. Why argue.

Finished, he lay on his stomach, picking bits from around his teeth with his long pink tongue. Soon the man's footsteps were approaching. Couldn't he just leave him alone? His annoyance turned to relief when the man opened the door and his hand came in-holding Mo by the scruff of the neck. He dropped him before Chad could catch him, but Mo landed neatly on his feet. "Chad." He rubbed against the charizard's shin. Chad stroked his soft furry back, remembering Mo had been caught without a fight.

"Do we get to go home soon?" Mo looked up with big round eyes. Despite his weariness, Chad felt a flicker of anger. Had all of this really happened only since this morning?

"Chah damn me if we don't," he said. "I'll find some way to get us home."

"Good." Mo circled in one spot before lying in a curl of cream-colored fur. Chad yawned and lay down too. He would worry about broken promises tomorrow.

The light coming into the two windows on the far wall told Chad it was mid-morning when he rubbed his eyes open. He felt much better, and hungry again. Craning his neck toward a food smell, he saw his bowl had just been filled and Mo, smaller than the bowl itself, was nibbling it. "Your food is almost as good as mine."

"Well don't eat it all." Chad got up, tried to stretch his wings but they hit the side walls. Freedom. Today. He moseyed over and finished quickly; the man gave him another bowl containing apples and scraps of meat. Chad snapped up the meat first and ate each apple nearly whole.

Mo watched, then groomed himself.

Giving his tail-tip a last lick he said, "What are we going to do today?"

"Let's test the cage. Stand back."

Chad gave the cage bars a blast of fire. It felt good to let some flame out, see yellow, but it did nothing. "Hm." He took another breath and fired again. Again the flames fondled the bars but failed even to heat them red.

Chad flew at the bars, slamming them. He pulled on them. Nothing. He lifted his head and blasted the ceiling, lashing his tail and wings.

"Meowth!"

Chad looked back to see Mo covering his ears. The water in the trough was rippling.

"Sorry."

Now his hands felt along the sliding door for where it opened. He was going to have to use his brains.

He grabbed the door with both hands and, muscles bulging, yanked. And he gave two more useless yanks. Roaring again, he pulled with all his weight while blasting with white-hot fire, feeling his voice vibrate the bars. . .

"Feeling better, aren't we!"

Chad opened his eyes and saw the man, who had screamed his tiny voice over the end of his roar. He was in a strange light gray outfit that covered his face with a shiny black panel, and muffled his voice. "You." Chad stuck his neck forward from the shoulders, and roared; a roll of orange and yellow flame furled out. Mo scrambled behind the water trough.

The man danced backwards; the flame cleared to show him unharmed.

"I'm in a fire safety suit, so don't waste your energy."

"Let me go."

"I'd like to meet the trainer who can tame you."

"Let me go."

Chad gave him a fire ball, the closest thing he could do to a fire spin. The few flames that did reach him did nothing through the fire suit.

"I heard you roaring from outside. Can't a guy even have a smoke? Well, free time's over." He threw a ball past the bars. Chad whipped his tail forward, whacking it away. He lowered his head and growled.

"Come on." The man threw another ball and Chad caught it in his hands. Still growling, his left fist clenched, crushing it easily. It was light, smooth, hard like a beetle's shell.

"Thought I would need my Ultra Ball. "

"Just try to get me in that," said Chad, forgetting he couldn't leave the cage without it, "just try."

In the pokeball, Chad reflected on the encounter and felt pretty dumb.

*As soon as I'm let out, I'm flying for it.*

He was released into another cage.

Right away he felt the higher temperature and smelled different smells-and saw only metal. The floor felt smooth under his feet. In the light of his tail he saw it was like a compartment-metal walls, floor and ceiling, and a vent on top. Mo bounded up from the corner. "Hi Chad!" He hugged his leg. "Finally they put you in. Today we get a new owner."

"What?" Chad had had it up to his horns with these Poké Balls. "How long was I in there?"

"I don't know. Five days. . ."

"Days?" Chad had only been in there a few minutes.

"I missed you."

Chad stopped being angry. When was the last time anyone had said that to him?

He rubbed Mo's head. "Missed you too."

"They just put me in this room, and it was dark and scary. Until your tail came here."

Chad heard a buzzing, machine noise from above and whipped into stance, ready to flame. The vent opened, and a small object fell through; he took a quick step back and it hit the floor in front of him.

"They put you in here from up there too," said Mo.

Chad picked up the object. It was red, shaped like a somewhat flat rectangle, and smelled delicious-sweet and meaty.

"That's your treat!" said Mo.

Chad took a bite of soft, delicious stuff. He took another, and let it mush around in his cheeks. It was chewy and strong-flavored. "Mmmm." His tongue licked through it, savoring it. He offered the last bit to Mo, who declined, and so he popped it in his mouth.

Licking his chops, Chad touched the cold metal wall. He hated this loss of control-of not knowing where he was, what would happen to him, where he would be next. Even Mo knew more than he did. Chad flamed the wall and his own fire bounced back in his face.

"Does that hurt?" said Mo.

"No."

The pokeball fell from above and hit Chad on the head. Now that hurt. It must be the ultraball, he thought as he tried unsuccessfully to fight it. So far old Chizmo's tale of love-and-respect-from-your-trainer wasn't holding up.

He was released into yet another cage. He asked Mo, already there, how long it had been, and thankfully he had only missed out on a few hours of life.

"It's a wall but it's not there," the kitten was saying, touching an invisible barrier. "Really weird."

Chad was becoming entertained at the myriad of methods humans had devised to contain Pokémon. First, melt-proof bars. Then, walls of pure metal, also melt-proof. This one appeared to be completely nothing, except the wall behind him. Knowing there was a catch but not willing to sit there without trying, Chad spread his wings-and they hit invisible walls.

"It's a forcefield," said the man who had caged him. "Good luck, charizard, and good luck to whoever buys you." He walked off into the forest of mostly well-clad humans wandering the place. Chad was glad to at least be rid of him. He was at one wall of a room full of strange human things-and humans. "Don't worry," said another, more portly man from farther down the way. He spoke to to four or five humans, who were looking or pointing at Chad. "No Pokémon can break through these forcefields. They're top of the line"

Chad breathed in deeply, cocked his head back, and lashed out a flood of fire, filling the entire upper half of the cubicle in orange-white fire. Mo screamed. After checking belatedly that the kitten was unharmed, he looked at the humans to see their reactions. He heard their gasps, saw a few cover their mouths or point. Heads had turned. "Cool!" said a kid.

"I assure you nothing is getting past the forcefield," said the plump man. "We've had charizards, Arcanines, Moltres'-you name it, we've had'em here with no trouble. He's just showing off."

On one side of Chad sat another Pokemon, medium-sized, a type he had never seen. Its slate-blue body slumped on the floor, its face half hidden by a huge, crimson, cream-speckled flower with five round, fleshy petals, topping its head like a hat. One petal was smaller and deformed, like cauliflower, maimed and healed over. It tipped its head back to regard him with sleepy eyes like black berries, then yawned again, as if nothing could surprise it.

"So," it said in a weak, raspy voice, "Lizardon himself has come to the same fate."

"What?" said Chad, but the creature's eyes closed and it did not speak again.

Beyond it, in the next cage, was another flower sleeping with its back against the wall with the two back petals bent up. Two smaller Pokemon were in with it, one no bigger than Mo. Leaves sprouted from their bulblike bodies, obviously the young of the species. Past there, in the last cage, a blue and white serpentine creature with two white fins on its head lay curled in sleep.

The two leaf-headed, radish-creatures walked around, but the others sat listless or asleep. How long had they been here? Chad watched the humans stream slowly by, gazing at the animals in each cage, talking and pointing.

"What are those flower guys?" Mo was leaning up against the side forcefield, gazing at the creature in the next cage, who now lay asleep on its back. Its two back-most petals were bent, rather comically, up. In the next cage, one of the leafy things waved a leaf at Mo, who waved back. Another person stopped to look at Chad, its eyes checking him out. Check this out. Leaving some space between himself and the forcefield, he blew a column of fire and it mushroomed outward against the clear wall. The human yelped and hurried away. Chad snorted, watching it leave, and allowed himself a chuckle.

The next human who stopped for a look at the lizard was a big, beefy man.

"They say charizards look cool but really they suck," he said to his buddy. Chad waited till his gaze returned, and gave him a Leer.

The man's bushy V of eyebrows inverted, as his face went pale. He hunched his shoulders and cringed. The friend stepped in to break their eye contact, and they hurried away, shivering and shaking.

"Yes, yes, calm down," the chubby man in the tweed suit was saying to the people pointing angrily at Chad. "He's safe as long as you don't look him in the eye. These are wild Pokémon, folks. This isn't an Eevee show."

He left and returned with a lightweight, rectangular board with black lines and dots on it. He held a stepladder in his other arm. He climbed the ladder outside Chad's cage and hung the white board on the beam bordering the cage ceiling.

A third human stopped to look at Chad, and then up at the board; his gaze moved across it. "Do not make eye contact." He looked straight at Chad. Chad's eyes glowed in another Leer. The human started to go jittery, but wiped it away with a smirk. Chad bit back a growl.

His dark clothes, greased hair, pasty pimply skin and beady eyes weren't what turned Chad off. It was the way the guy walked, strutting along and meeting Chad's glaring attack with a casual smile. He took out from behind the front of his black jacket a pokeball and held it between index finger and thumb.

"You're coming home with me today."

Chad flamed him. The flame cleared to show the young man still grinning, not a mark on him. As Chad leered from his lowered head, the boy/man looked down, "Oh please," put the ball away and from his backpack brought out a little flat red box. Apparently different humans, like different Pokémon, were affected by a Leer in varying degrees. He pressed a button, and nodded at it. "Ah. Charizards. Not known for their intelligence." The guy looked back up at Chad. "Intelligence. That's the reason I'm on this side of the forcefield and you're on that side."

Chad Leered again to no effect. He clenched his fists and held back from flaming. He couldn't get out, but he could at least show he wasn't dumb enough to keep flaming a forcefield. It was a waste of energy he might soon need.

"Well, see you at the end of the auctions. They save the best for last." He strutted away, and Chad sat down at the back of the cage, glad to be rid of him.

The portly man was standing on a low stage at one end of the room, to the right of the wall that had the four cages. His rapid voice boomed, unnaturally loud, over the murmur of human speech. "Next auction in. . .ten minutes."

People were filling the chairs in the middle of the room, in rows all facing the stage. The cage at the far end with the serpent seemed to be getting the most attention, although plenty of people were pointing at Chad.

The man on the stage spoke again. "Next auction beginning in. . .five minutes. One Dratini."

Chad watched humans enter the Dratini's cage (apparently turning off the forcefield). They put something around its neck attached to a metal pole, and one person led it out while two others helped. The creature stopped and looked around in bewilderment, and tried to curl back up. "Come on, just a little farther," one of the human attendants said, and they helped it up the three stairs. That Dratini wasn't just tired. Something was wrong.

Well, thought Chad as the man resumed talking, the instant they turned off the forcefield to get him onto that stage, he was dashing for freedom. Or maybe he would cooperate partway, then attack. Scooping Mo up, he would fly for the door. It looked almost too easy. Maybe they had Ultraballs on hand.

". . .Wow, the rare and elusive Dratini! This fellow is of undetermined gender, but we do know it is one hundred percent healthy, and quite intelligent. Look at that color!" the man onstage said as he lifted the tip of the Dratini's fair blue tail. "Its previous owner, who must sell this Pokémon because of financial problems, says this Dratini is friendly and easily trained, it'll make a great fighter AND companion!" He rambled on. ". . .We will start the bidding at thirty thousand."

People in the audience began shouting numbers at the auctioneer, who answered by shouting back. The numbers rose higher. Finally he announced, "Six hundred sixty thousand. . .going once, going twice, sold for six hundred sixty thousand Pokéyens!"

Chad had a feeling that was a lot. At some signal from the portly man, an attendant put the Dratini in a ball and handed it to him. A human went up on stage and exchanged a slip of paper for the ball. He made one more announcement, returning to the tall sprouting metal thing that made him talk loud. "Next auction in. . .twenty minutes."

The auctioneer left the stage to converse with other humans. Chad stared at the flower person passed out on the floor. He gave a loud grunt; it moaned and rolled away on its side. Well, it was alive.

"Don't roar, you'll wake it up," said Mo.

"That's what I was trying to do," said Chad. "There's something weird here."

"He's sleepy," Mo shrugged.

Yeah. Too sleepy.

The auctioneer's voice again rose out of the featureless humdrum of human talk, this time because he was approaching Chad's cage.

". . .These Vileplumes were sedated earlier this morning." He waved his hand at them as he strolled down the wide aisle between the chairs and the cages. He was talking to none other than the guy who had healed Chad.

The young man grunted in reply. "So it should be okay."

"Yeah. Charizard's big too. Should set in any minute though, I gave him an extra dose. We won't take him out till he's ready, if we have to we'll keep him in there." For the first time during the conversation both men looked at Chad. The auctioneer smiled. "They'll get the idea. I would run them all from these cages, but I get better results on the stage. They want to see the goods."

When on Chah had they given him a "dose" of anything? Could they do that while he was in a ball? Oh, the thought of it! Mo was capering around, shouting down to the leafy creatures. Mo didn't seem sleepy at all. . .

Well of course not! They wouldn't have to do him.

Chad felt fine so far. He could pretend to be sleepy, then attack. It all made sense.

"Next auction starting in . . .five minutes," echoed the loud voice. "One Vileplume with two Oddish."

". . .Chad?"

Chad snapped out of it. "Yeah?"

Mo looked up at him. "Where are they taking those flower people?"

"On stage I guess." As Chad watched the humans trying to wake the Vileplume and handle the Oddish, he felt dizzy and relaxed. He started to sit. . .and jumped back up. He could fight this. He would stay on his feet, forcing his body to remain awake and alert. Awake! Alert! He blinked, looking around, concentrating on keeping his energy up. How had they done it? And when?

That treat. It had tasted so good. Another nasty trick by the human species; Chad couldn't trust the food from their hands. The anger that coursed through him made him jerk his head back up.

The auctioneer motioned for the attendants to bring the Vileplume onstage. On the stage, its legs wilted, weighted down by its heavy head, and a human had to squat behind it and keep it from tipping backwards.

"Straight from the remote and dangerous Gloomleaf forest!" the auctioneer was shouting without the microphone. "For unknown reasons Vileplumes are in decline-if you've been there you'll know it's near impossible to spot one! You can have your very own Wild Vileplume, fully evolved, straight from nature and ready to battle! How do they evolve out there? Where is that legendary cave of evolution stones? No one knows! But the work has been done for you! A little training and this Pokemon will boost your team and your badges! And with this Vileplume come two Oddish, in perfect health and ready to go!"

He gently tipped the Vileplume's back petals from underneath, showing the bright crimson flower to the crowd. "Not a scratch! Beautiful. All our Pokemon are drugged for safety but they will revive in minutes with the potion that goes FREE to the winning bidder. Owner starts the bidding at 15 thousand! Do I hear twenty?"

That airy, tingly feeling mixed up Chad's head, made him want to melt onto the floor. But he would not pass out on what might be his only jab at freedom. It felt like ages since he'd spread his wings. He wobbled forward and back, propping himself up with his tail.

Mo poked Chad, jumping in front of him again; Chad looked down and saw his scared face swirling before him. "Are you okay?" he shouted from the end of a tunnel. "Chad!"

"I'm all right."

". . .Sold! for two hundred five thousand Pokéyens!" the auctioneer finished. Chad listened to the jumble of talking humans, then the microphone jolted him back from the edge of sleep. `"Next auction in. . .twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes. Then another waiting period before he was up. Well, this was the test. He just had to stand here and stay awake. . .

". . .Vileplume with one defective petal, minor battle scar, should heal right over with a little potion! Starting bid is ten thousand. . ."

Mo's little paw was swatting his leg, the highest part that the kitten could reach.

"Wake up, Chad! Why won't you wake up. . ."

Chad forced his eyelids open. He had fallen asleep on his feet, head and horns against the forcefield. Mo's voice, the nimble ramble of the auctioneer, the bidders' shouts all melded into one. "Next auction. . .twenty minutes. . ."

Humans invaded his cage, touching him, handling him, closing a cold metal collar round his neck. One scooped Mo up; Chad gave a weak growl as the woman petted him and talked in a soothing voice. Chad's hands groped and flexed, like a charmander hatching; he opened his mouth and forgot why he had opened it. Everywhere was a swirl of walls, humans, voices. He leaned on the nearest person for support as they led him out by a metal pole fastened to his collar. He watched the floor flow past between his clumsy feet; one foot lifted then landed across the other. He kept forgetting what direction he was going and couldn't summon the concentration to even scratch anyone. When he reached the stage stairs he sat down and yawned, knowing through the mental haze that there was no reason for him to climb them.

". . .need some help here. . ." More talking, more humans, surrounded him. They hauled him up by the metal poles, uncurling him from sleep. Chad stumbled, bumping knees and toes, practically falling up the steps. Hands pushed on his lower back and legs.

". . .he's tired, folks; he's drugged for safety. But a little potion will pep him up. . ."

Onstage, Chad blinked his eyes open. Where was that door again? What door, exactly, had he been concentrating on? The rows of humans, a mottled forest of clothes and hairy heads just below his level, swayed and spun. Sleep. Chad lay down onstage. His horns hit the stone a little harder than he'd intended, and helet his head loll to the side. He heard the titter of fond laughter from the crowd.

"Will you just look at this specimen! Young male straight from the restricted Charizard Island! They need to draw your name from a lottery for you to even go there, the last place in the world where they still fly wild! A hundred percent wild-grown-tough as nails and already evolved! This fellow's a little temperamental but give him some TLC and you'll have a one-Pokémon team! May I also draw your attention to this adorable Meowth kitten going FREE to the highest bidder! This chance won't come again-this is the auction you all came here for! Owner starts the bidding at forty thousand Pokéyens. . ."

Chad rolled on his back and lay with his head spinning, everything in motion, a jumble of sounds coming in his ears. The floor was moving, going upside down with him barely held to it by gravity. The auctioneer's voice floated in waves.

Chad sat up, still in a daze, just emerging on the other side of rock bottom. Escape! But where was the door. . .He tried to get up and lost his balance. He collapsed on the floor, and lay building the strength to try again. Human feet stood near his head; he propped himself up on his sinewy arms. Escape. . .

". . . going twice. . .Sold! for 600,000 Pokéyens, congratulations, young man. . ."

Chad got his feet under him. Concentrating to stay upright, he held his arms and wings out. What was it he had to do? The door. . .no, first he had to flame the hell out of these humans! How could he have forgotten? Bracing himself up with his tail, he looked around, fighting heavy eyelids. A couple of bursts-

"-he's waking up, get the ball-"

The ball struck Chad between the wings. He never did find the door.

The auctioneer tucked Dorien's check away and held out the pokeball and potion. He clapped the young man on the shoulder; Dorien looked at the hand. "Good luck, kid. If there ever was a tough one, it's a wild charizard. And this is the charizard from hell. We're required by law to warn you that he's never been tame and he'll try to flame you to death. Will you just sign these papers?"

Dorien scribbled his signature on each line they pointed to, clipped the ball to his belt and put the potion in his pack. "There's no Pokémon I can't train." He turned to leave.

"You're forgetting this little guy. He's the charizard's friend." The woman held out Mo. Dorien took a ball from his backpack, put Mo in and clipped that ball next to Chad's. He gave one stiff nod to both of them and turned on his heel, hands in his pockets as he walked out the door.


End file.
